Welcome to the feature that poses three questions to students regarding works of art or culture they’ve recently enjoyed and provides us with insight as to why we should (or shouldn’t) check them out. Junior Graham Keller (‘27) and Senior David Edelmen (‘26) weighed in on the questions below:
1) What is one new idea that you’ve heard recently that has you thinking…
Graham Keller ‘27:
“I guess one idea that has me thinking is that the 435-member cap on the House of Representatives has got to be one of the dumbest things. It’s not in the Constitution, or really even that old of a concept. The House was capped in 1929, the year of the great depression, and before that, the House would expand with population growth. Conceptually, the house is supposed to be proportionally representative, but voters in Wyoming have one representative for every 500k people, while we have one for every 700k people. It seems like we made up some random rule less than 100 years ago, and now we just have to live with the fact that the house is no longer equally representative, just seems dumb.”
David Edelmen ‘26:
“In a religion class discussion, my teacher said that she used to say ‘everything happens for a reason,’ but that now she has shifted that to ‘you can derive meaning from every situation.’ I really liked that, and I made the same switch in my thinking. It feels a lot more grounded and realistic. Instead of trying to justify everything, it focuses on growth. I also like this mindset because it feels a lot healthier and empowering.”
2) What is one work of art or piece of culture (can also be in technology or media etc) worth checking out (or not)?
Graham Keller ‘27:
“One piece of culture that is worth checking out is ‘I Think You Should Leave’ with Tim Robinson. Chances are, if you are on TikTok or Reels, you have already seen clips from this show but just don’t know it yet. It’s very good. It’s like a funnier and shorter version of SNL.”
David Edelmen ‘26:
“I really liked Maniac McGee because it told a powerful story about friendship, race, and belonging in a way that was easy to understand as a kid but still meaningful. I admired Maniac’s independence and kindness, and the book made me think a lot about fairness and community. Hamilton, on the other hand, fascinated me because it mixed history and creativity — the way the musical reimagined America’s founding with modern music made learning about history exciting and relatable.”
3) One book or article you’ve read recently that caught your interest.
Graham Keller ‘27:
“One book I have read recently that caught my interest is probably The Official SAT Study Guide 2025 from the College Board. At least I hope so, because it has eaten up all the other time I would have spent reading other books with its endless practice tests, which have barely improved my score, by the way. I have read more pages from this book than all other books combined this year.”
David Edelmen ‘26:
“Sula was interesting because it explored complex themes like identity, friendship, and the impact of choices over time. I liked how Toni Morrison showed how the relationship between Sula and Nel changed as they grew up, and how their town judged them differently. It made me think more deeply about how society shapes people’s reputations and how moral decisions aren’t always clear.”
